Submitted by Airym Velazquez on the 2024 Winter CRJU program in South Africa…
Growing up, I always knew I was a part of the lower middle class of Puerto Rico. I was neither rich nor poor; I was normal. Unlike my father, my father had grown up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He grew up in extreme poverty and was a part of the lower class of Puerto Rico. His parents earned a few dollars a week, and at only ten years old, he dropped out of school to work to make money for his family and community. When I decided to begin my study abroad, I knew that here, in South Africa, there would be areas with poor neighborhoods. The neighborhood of Soweto reminded me of my dad’s community and of los ” barrios,” which are poor neighborhoods in PR.
After seeing Soweto, we also visited a traditional South African restaurant. When we arrived, I did not know what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised, the food was delicious; it tasted similar to my traditional food, and it pleased me to see how my peers enjoyed it as much as I did. Moreover, it was a pleasure to meet Nicolas’ son James. He was the first person from my same age category that I interacted with in conversation that was born and raised in South Africa. Getting to know him and all his ideals was a pleasure. We may have had playful arguments on the bus. However, it was all for fun, and no real feelings were hurt. I hope he joins us again so we can continue learning about each other as a group. So far, I am happy in South Africa. The people have been fantastic, and the culture has been intriguing. South Africa is one of the best countries I have visited.
For this week’s readings, we had the opportunity to read Orphanhood and Childcare Patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Analysis of National Surveys from 40 Countries by Roeland Monasch and J. Boerma. This article focused on the number of children who are in the fostercare system in parts of Africa. According to this article, “Overall, the population-based surveys, which cover 97% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa, indicate that on or about the year 2000, 9% of children under 15 years have lost at least one parent, including 1% who have lost both parents (weighted average for all countries). During this week, we began our daily visits to New Beginnings. This center focuses on rehabilitating children, primarily babies, so they can be adopted and have better lives after being abandoned by their parents. Meeting these babies has been an incredible experience filled with highs and lows. The babies have genuinely been the highlights of my days, and I’m glad I have been able to work with them. So far, my favorite baby has been Zipho; she is a 10-month-old baby who was a result of a failed abortion. Because of this, she was born as a premi, and her life has had health challenges because of it. She is a sweet baby, and I’m glad I have met her. However, this brought me back to a discussion I had with the Professor. Harris. We spoke of pregnancy in South Africa and how it was a significant issue for the country’s population and women’s well-being. Harris mentioned how women here in South Africa receive money from the state for the children that they give birth to. Because of this, many women have babies and end up neglecting them.
Moreover, although I agree that having children like this is wrong, I think it is important to remember the levels of extreme poverty in this country. If birthing babies is going to feed your family, then I can’t blame the mothers and families who chose to do so. Because it is their choice, however, we have cases like this. While at New Beginning, I saw Tony while you all were visiting, and she mentioned how she couldn’t believe a mother could abandon her child like that with no remorse. As much as I agree with Tony’s statement, I want to believe that most of those moms likely did not want to abandon their babies, but because of the emotional and economic situation that these women go through that might have been the best way they could give their children a better life.
Moreover, the article spoke of how women were the ones who stepped up and took care of the babies and fostered them while they had no home. New Beginnings is an example of this; everyone there is a woman. Seeing and relating to these amazing women who care for such sweet, innocent lives is lively. Monach’s article concluded that “Overall, 9% of children under 15 years have lost at least one parent in sub-Saharan Africa. On average, one in six households with children is caring for orphans. Orphans more frequently live in households that are female-headed, larger, and have a less favorable dependency ratio”. It is unfortunate how many children are homeless or struggling to find a house in South Africa and other parts of the continent. I hope this issue improves, and hopefully, fewer children will have to live through this someday.
The second article I would like to focus on is, Experiencing De Facto Racial Residential. Segregation in Urban South Africa: An African Refugees Auto ethnography by Amanuel Isak. Isak describes his life as a black person living in South Africa. He mentions how “My experience with racial residential segregation did not occur as a result of state-sanctioned segregation or Collective White mobilization (Boustan, 2013) as such forms of segregation have been outlawed in South Africa. It appears to be due to individual White actions, Black self-segregation, and socioeconomic factors (Izak, 2020). This reading reminded me of Soweto, where people live in extreme poverty like my father once did. While we walked through the community, it reminded me of my father’s community. The shared homes, the illegal electricity, and the lack of water were exactly what my dad dealt with in his everyday early life. However, although all these things were said, I could not help to sense the feeling of community. These people have been ignored and abused by the government. However, they stay where they are and help each other whenever possible. This is similar to my dad’s dad’s situation; although he lived like the poorest of the poor, the community he had within him and his neighborhood kept him going. I believe one of the main reasons these people have stayed where they are is their strong sense of community. Aside from this situation being the only one they knew of, these people understand the meaning of community. I’m happy I got to meet the people of this community and the fact that I could relate to them through my dad.
Through this experience, I have learned the significance of wealth, not material wealth but wealth in family and community. Learning about the people from Soweto and how they embraced their situation made me reflect on my life. I’m genuinely grateful for my life and the person I am today. Although I began this journal talking about how I grew up as a middle class, I acknowledge that I’m rich because of the love I receive from others and my community back home. I am lucky to be in the position that I am in, and I hope that someday, I can help this community and the babies that have been left for adoption in South Africa. (Submitted on January 30, 2024)
